Police: "Investigation Will Proceed If Democratic Party Reports 'Russian-Made Sniper Rifle Tip'"

Police Investigate 12 Online Death Threats Against Presidential Candidates

On May 26, the police responded to the Democratic Party of Korea's claim that there was credible information about the importation of Russian-made rifles by stating, "No such case has been separately reported to the police," and added, "If we receive any reports or tips, we will conduct an investigation."

Lee Jae Myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is wearing campaign clothes over a bulletproof vest at the launch ceremony and first rally held at Cheonggye Square in Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun Min

At a regular press briefing that day, a representative from the National Police Agency said, "We are taking all possible measures for security, including deploying special forces," and added, "If we find any leads, we will investigate quickly and thoroughly."

Previously, Cho Seung Rae, head of the Central Election Committee's public relations team, announced, "As threats of terrorism against candidate Lee continue to increase, we have established a counter-terrorism response team led by Kim Min Seok, the standing election committee chair." Kim stated, "We have also received reports of terrorist threats involving firearms and explosives, so we cannot afford to let our guard down."

The police reported that a total of 12 online posts threatening to kill presidential candidates had been received. Of these, 11 were related to Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae Myung, with 1 case forwarded, and 1 was related to Reform Party candidate Lee Jun Seok. So far, 6 suspects have been apprehended, 1 has been identified, and 5 are still being tracked.

Regarding whether the authors of the threats against presidential candidates actually intended to cause harm, a National Police Agency official explained, "There has been no confirmation of any real threat so far," and added, "They only wrote the posts."